Sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines



April 25, 1933. K. ZIEGE SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINESFiled March 28, 1950 In vqmor Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED ewe Parentorrice 3 KARL ZIEGE, or BERLIN, GERMANY, ssrenon TO AnnEEssosnArH.ooMrAnY, or e WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A. CORPORATION OF DELAVTAREv I SHEETlEEEDIhTG MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Application filed March 28,1930, Serial No. 439,684, and in Germany July 2, 1927.

feed of the paper pile the supply of too much or too little paper wasliable to occur, causing interruptions in the operation of the machinewhich had to be rectified by hand.

According to the invention the feeding movement of the travellingconveyor band carrying the pile of sheets is regulated through suitableconnections by a device which frictionally separates single sheets fromthe pile. Thus the saidmovement can be arranged to take place only whenthere is insufficient material exposed to the action of the frictionalseparating devices.

1 In order that the said inventionmay be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be described more drawing whereinFigure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus exemplifying this invention.

Figure 2'is a plan.

An endless conveyor band 1 working on a fully with reference to theaccompanying table 2 passes around rollers 3 and 4, the

latter of which is mounted on a shaft 25 intermittently rotated by meanshereinafter described. A pile of sheets 5 resting on the band 1 iscarried along with the band until the sheets come within reach offrictionally acting deviees 6 and 7, which may be fingers,

- but in the example illustrated are soft rubber rings fitted on aspindle 8. On the two ends of the spindle 8 are rigidly attached theretothe two rocking levers 9 andlO, which jointly forming the drive lever.To the lever 14. is linked a connecting rod 15, which is reciprocated bymeans not shown on the drawing, so that with each working cycle of the.16, a rotating movement to the spindle 19.

printing machine-the driver levers 13 and 14 l I makea swinging movementin the direction -of the arrows a andib. In addressing machlnes theactuation of these levers 13 and 14 is preferably accomplished bylinking the connecting rod 15 to the printing arm of the addressingmachine, from which armoit receives the necessary movement for actuatingthe lever 13., By thesejmeans a feed of the sheets to the addressingmachine only takes" place when the printing arm. is actuated. Thisis'very important in those addressing machines in which an automaticselectioniis made from the address plates carried through the machine ofthose to beprinted- 1 and those not to be printed. In this way isensured the introduction into the machine of a sheet only when anaddress plate to be printed is in the printing position.

By a: swinging movement of the drive levers13 and 14 in the direction ofthe arrow 1) the friction rings 6 and 7 which during this movement reston the paper pile 5, owing to their adhesion, separate each time the toprection'of their movement. By known means, not shown on the drawing, thetaking-of any sheets except the top sheet of the pile is prevented. Inthe path of the movement of the sheet is. suspendeda touch lever16,;which' projects through a slot made in the table 2, so that thesheet in its advancement by the friction ringsiG and 7 strikes againstthis touch lever 16. The said touch lever isfixed on the spindle 19rotatably mounted in bearings 17 and 1.8. On the outside of the bearing17is fixed onthe spindle 19 a small swinging lever 20, which is linkedby means of a connecting rod 21 to the toothed pawl 0r segment 22. Thetension spring 23 acting on the pawl 22 tends to keep; this pawl 22 inthe position shown in the drawing. When a: normal feed occurs a sheetmoved forward imparts, through the intermediation of the touch leverThen this rotating movementis transmitted bymeans of the swinging lever20 and the connecting rod 21 to the pawl 22 which then comeswithin thereach of the toothed segment lever 24.. It is essential that fullmovesheet of the pileand carry this sheet in thediment be imparted tothe lever 16 so that when a normal feed takes place the touch lever 16is given full movement to clear the sheet edge and ride on the top ofthe sheet. This se ment lever 24 is rotatably arranged on the spindle25, with which the driving levers 13 and 14 are rigidly connected. Onthe driving lever 13 is fitted a pin 26 behind which the segment lever24 engages by means of a projection 27. The segment'lever 24 is'keptconstantly pressed against the pin 26 on lever 13, by the tension spring28 and. consequently follows each swinging movement of the driving lever13. If, however, the pawl 22 be made to engage with the segment lever 24by the action of a forwardly moving sheet in the manner described, thepawl 22 is carried along with the segment lever 24 until the pawl 22meets the stop pin 29, whereupon the further movement of the segmentlever 24 by spring 28 is prevented. If the papersheet'to be conveyed hasnot acted on the touch lever 16 at the proper time, then the pawl 22does not en gage with the segment lever 24 and it can make the fullmovement with the driving lever 13. 'Prior to and as the segment lever24 makes this full movement it, by means of the regulating screw 31fitted'thereon, acts on the arm 32 of the motion pawl lever 33 alsorotatably fitted on the spindle 25. A rotating movement is thus impartedto the motion pawl lever. 33 which it transmits by means of the pawl 34to the toothed wheel 35. This wheel 35 is rigidly fixed on the conveyorroller rotatably mounted on the spindle 25, which thus follows themovement of the pawl 34 and, through the conveyor band 1, effects aforward movement of the paper pile. Thus the pawl 22 will not beactuated and a forward movement of the paper pile will take place eachtime when the friction rings 6 and '7 make a longer movement than theone set for moving forward the sheet of paper up to the touch lever 16,which again is always the case when p the paper pile does not lie farenough under the friction rings 6 and 7. As soon as the driving levers13, 14 move in the direction of the arrow or the motion pawl lever 33 isbrought back again to its normal position under the influence of thespring 36. The separate paper sheet is moved forward by the continuouslyrotating rollers 37 and 38. This is effected by the rollers 41 and 42carried on the two swinging levers 39 and 40, being pressed atperiodical intervals against the V rollers 37 and 38, the paper sheetbeing thereby gripped and moved forward. By this movement the lever 44fixed on the spindle 43,

together with the swinging levers 39. and 40,

which engage by means of an extension under the spindle 8 of thefriction rings 6-7, lift these friction rings from the paper pile, so

that they do not interruptthe forward movement of the sheet of paper.During the time the friction rings are raised, their backward eoa54smovement in the direction of the arrow a takes place, thus preventingthe paper pile being disarranged during this backward movement.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis 1. A sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines and the likecomprising a sheet supporting belt having a stack of sheets thereon,means for imparting an intermittent movement to saidbelt, means forwithdrawing a sheet from the sheets on said belt, means for impartingmovement to said sheet withdrawing means, means for connecting saidintermittent movement imparting means to said sheet withdrawing means toreceive movement therefrom, a detecting member in the path of the sheetsmoved'by said sheet withdrawing means whereby said belt may be operatedindifferent amounts, a normally retracted pawl operable from saiddetecting member for rendering said intermittent movement impartingmeans inoperative when said detecting member is moved in certainpredetermined amounts, and means for interrupting movement of said pawlto limit movement of said intermittent movement imparting means wherebysaid intermittent 2. A sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines.and the like comprising a sheet supporting-belt having a stack ofsheets thereon, frictionally. acting devices for withdrawing a sheetfrom the'belt, means supporting said devices, means for impartingmovement to said devices to withdraw a sheet, from the sheets on saidbelt to feed the same :into the printing machine or the like, a spindle,means carried by the spindle disposed in the path of movement of thesheets to be engaged thereby, a lockingpawl connected to said spindle,means for imparting a step-by step movement to said sheet supportingbelt and receiving movement from the means imparting movement to thesheet withdrawing devices, and a ratchet engageable by said.

locking pawl for preventing movement of said intermittent movementimparting means when the means on said spindle engageable by said sheetsis moved in a predetermined amount. v

3. A sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines-and the likecomprising a sheet supporting belt having a stack of sheets thereon,

frictionally acting devices for withdrawing a sheet from the belt. meanssupporting saiddevices,'means for imparting movement to said devices towithdraw a sheet from the sheets on said belt to feed the same into theprinting machine or the like, a spindle, means carried-by the spindledisposed in the path of movement of the sheets to be engaged thereby, alocking means connected to said spindle, a ratchet for impartingmovement to said belt, a pawl for operating said ratchet and receivingmovement from the means imparting movement to the sheetwithdrawingdevices, and means connected to said pawl and engageable bysaid locking means to hold said pawl against movement when the means onsaid spindle engageable by said sheets is moved in a predeterminedamount.

4. A sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines and the likecomprising a sheet supporting belt, a spindle, locking levers carry 7ing said spindle, frictionally acting devices on said spindle forwithdrawing sheets from the belt, studs carrying swinging levers, adrive lever connected to said swinging levers, said studs beingconnected to said rocking levers whereby movement imparted from said adriving lever will be transmitted to said frictionally acting devices, atouch lever, rotatable means supporting said touch lever whereby when asheet withdrawn by said frictionally acting devices touches said leverit will be moved and said rotatable means will be rotated, a normallyretracted pawl operable by said rotatable means, a ratchet operablyconnected to said sheet supporting belt, means for imparting astep-by-step movement to said ratchet and including a movable member,said movable member having means thereon engageable by said pawl wherebyit will be held against movement when said touch lever is moved in apredetermined amount.

KARL ZIEGE.

